Welcome to the InvestComics Hot Picks for new comic releases on 1-30-13.

Well the news has come out and boy is the aftermarket a’buzzing! Much thanks to Sebastian Piccione of InvestComics and the awesome video review show FFFIC on the InvestComics YouTube channel, if you followed his instructions you would have been picking up the Sixth Gun comic a long long time ago. NBC has partnered up with the creators; Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt to begin a pilot for them. This is great news if you’re already an owner of the Sixth Gun #1 issue from Oni Press. Why you ask? Do you really have to ask? Well here’s the scoop. On Ebay right now, a seller has 2 number one issues in VF condition no less selling for $90+!! The comics are probably well past that price point since this was as of 2 days ago. Well here’s the question to ask, do I buy? Well here’s the thing with these types of comics. I say “types” because it’s really just a hot item right now because of the announcement from NBC and the fact it may be a successful show (see Walking Dead). Now the other question comes into play, how much is too much? Well a graded copy of Walking Dead #1 sold recently for $10,000. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’d know that as a collector I personally think that paying that much for a graded Walking Dead number one is absurdity at its finest. Zombie movies, comics, stories are not a new thing. This too shall fade away eventually, leaving that buyer that spent 10 grand on a book that will be worth a third of that in given time. The same may apply to the Sixth Gun. While a spectacular comic and story, the quick bump in the pricing market may be because of the possible outcome of the show and its future. It’s a tricky/dicey bet here to go out and buy high on this comic right now ($50+ range?). The best advice to offer here may seem like a copout, but it’s the most honest. Go with your gut on this. Here are the positives here to help you along; the story itself has never really been done before, making for a fresh take on something “new” as oppose to something “old”. It has potential for a franchise in the sense that the six guns are always to be sought after for their powers, thus making for a constant chase, thus for making for constant story, thus making for constant potential. The negatives are quite simple here. What if the story does not translate to the small screen? The pilot is a flop and you are left holding a $50+ comic in your hands with no aftermarket value. The risk is big here. $50+ is not something you want to just blow away on such uncertainty. I will leave you with one certainty however. There are only 3 CGC graded Sixth Guns #1 issues out there at the moment. If you think you may own a good 9.8 or higher grade, send it off to CGC right away. If you score a 9.8 or higher (hope hope) you will then triple your money in the aftermarket. Or you may want to hold onto it and wait for A: the market to heat up some more (which probably will) Or B: wait for the good reviews (maybe/maybe not) to come in regarding the pilot. Bottom line, go with your gut, it’s usually never wrong.

HOT PICKS

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Let’s move along to the new Marvel and DC Universe’s. As said countless times here on the InvestComics Hot Picks; the best thing about the restarts/relaunch of these two companies is the influx of new heroes and villains as well as the returning/revamps of some of them. This week Marvel’s Avengers (2012 5th Series) #4 gives us the origin of Hyperion. Hyperion first appeared in the original Avengers series (1963). The issue was Avengers #69 (1969). The value here is at the $80 mark. Not too bad for a character that hasn’t really been “A rated”. Here’s a nice nugget though; only 100 total copies sit out there graded and only 5 are in the 9.8 spot. If you can muscle away a very nice non graded copy (9.8 – good luck, not an easy task), you’d be able to flip it for some decent change.

Another non- listed A rated character makes his long awaited return (who was really wanting on this guy anyway?). Dark Avengers (2012 Marvel) 2nd Series #186 sets the return of…..ready?? U.S. Agent! Okay so maybe not the biggest star in the sky, but he’s a cool dude! Check out Captain America #323 (1986) for his debut. The CGC market doesn’t really have many of these copies graded at the moment. Only 21 graded with a top heavy 6 issues in the 9.8 category. Not so bad here if you think you can score a 9.8 at $4, send it off and try to flip it by upselling it on Ebay. Not that hard of an issue to find.

X-Men Legacy #5 will introduce two new villains. Yay, more bad guys….gals. Whichever.

DC feels it necessary to give He-Man his own origin book this week. Masters of the Universe The Origin of He-Man (2013)#1 gives us an awesome cover though doesn’t it? If you feel like you’re in the hunting mode, look for the debut of He-Man in Masters of the Universe from Mattel (1981). Good luck finding that in NM condition.

And finally from DC, we have Batman The Dark Knight (2011 2nd Series) #16 coming out this week with debut penciler Ethan Van Sciver. We don’t have to get into how much Ethan’s pencils are boss. This guy can flat out draw. With Ethan on the new Bat book, it got me thinking of where Ethan’s earliest Batman art occurred. It brought me way back to 2001 Justice Leagues: JL? #1. What’s up with the title? Anyway, if you want Ethan’s first(?) Batman work you can probably find it hiding in a long box someplace for a buck. If you want to make a quick buck, you pair up the latest Ethan Batman with his “first Batman” and sell that on Ebay as a pair. Send me at least 7%. Thanks.

Image Comics will release Invincible (2003) #100. Expect instant sellouts on this book. More so there is a golden nugget here that will pay very high dividends if you are able to score it. With the release of the modern day Peter Parker like character comic, there will be 9 variant covers. There will be one in particular you will need to grab in order to make an almost guarantee profit. The Ryan Ottley wraparound Sketch Cover will be a cool $85 when it comes out. Look for the aftermarket to command more than the $85 you spent on it….quickly. If you feel so inclined, you may want to get it graded to make even more money. This fans is the variant to get!

On the cosmetic front we have Spawn (1992) #227 coming out. Todd McFarlane continues his very smart money grab here and continues to pay homage to various famous comic covers. Todd pays homage to himself this week with the copying of Amazing Spider-Man #300. Todd is still great and a smart business man within the comic book industry. Not so much baseball, but comics. Sorry Todd! We still love ya!

That’s it for now. Remember to listen to the newest and greatest Podcast ever! Breaking the 4th Wall brought to you by InvestComics. Shaun Cobble & Shaun Sorenson are doing their thing; listen in to maybe start winning some prizes too! And also the weekly video comic book review show; FFFIC! Watch that each week. This past week Ernest Mesa won a signed Mark Bagley autograph! What creator autograph will be next? Stay tuned and find out!

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